In particular, the manager of a business that has grown from one person to ten or more employees will likely experience the peculiar stress that comes with succeeding. How can this be?

Consider what happens when your small business "takes off."

You become famous. That is to say, now your neighbors and friends know about you. You are assumed to be successful because of getting the breaks, knowing the right people, stealing and cheating, selling drugs out the back door, inheriting money, and playing the angles. Overnight you have gone from being a hard-working neighbor to some kind of slick operator.

You become visible. The ad in your local phone book or newspaper means you are no longer anonymous. Your customers know your address and phone number. There is nowhere to hide! You have become a bigshot.

The whole world thinks you are rich. You must now respond to requests for sponsorship of every good cause known to mankind. Why aren't you interested to help the local brotherhoods and orders of police, firefighters, ambulance attendants, Moose, Knights of Columbus, auxiliaries, church fundraisers, the United Way, Jerry's Kids and UNESCO, to name but a few causes? Don't you care?

The whole world seems to think you need immediate help to do your business successfully. Why aren't you ordering all the business advice magazines designed just for your? Why aren't you joining all the business organizations there to speak for your interests? Why aren't you going to the conventions, renting exhibit booths and hiring consulting firms? Why aren't you signing up with investment funds that will multiply your great profits by the day?

Every bank on earth wishes to lend you money, especially with the use of credit cards. The more you need credit the more solicitations you will receive. You are successful so start borrowing. Of course if you really need the money, never mind.

Several dozen insurance companies think your situation is just right for their products. The product might be health insurance, long term healthcare insurance, life insurance, accident insurance, home insurance, auto insurance, supplemental Medicare insurance, flood insurance, product insurance or credit card insurance.

So, successful businessperson that you are, in charge of a growing small company, get with the program! Admit it: you are rich, slick, borderline criminal, lucky and in need of help from all directions to become richer. You are stingy if you do not contribute generously to all causes. You should be out there in the community giving leadership in all your spare time. You should be happy to receive mail by the pound. You should be a pillar of the church and a model for the community.You should join organizations. You should go to conventions and spend hours reading business advice columns after you finish devouring the Wall Street Journal every day and reading blogs like this piece.

Bottom line: the bottom line of this attempt at humor is to make two points.

First, the transition in small business from the one-person operation to even a small number of employees and the beginning of success brings with it profound changes in how you are perceived. You can expect to become a target of marketing and soliciting. You can expect to be perceived as wealthy, powerful and influential. You are still the same person you always were but it may seem like no one else believes that. It can be very confusing and stressful. Expect the stress. Keep your eye on the ball. Developing a business is hard work and the first priority for time and energy is to your business, not to anyone else's cause, business or propositions.

Second, two of the easiest and quickest ways to manage the stress of success is with humor and by talking about it out loud. So make the jokes and do the exaggerating.! Keep saying it and listen for the feedback from anybody who will truly hear what you are sayhing. Ignore the rest.